Introduction: Acute mountain sickness, high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), and high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) are a spectrum of high-altitude conditions, with HACE being the most life-threatening. Most cases develop at altitudes of greater than 4,000 meters (~13,000 feet) above sea level and after one to five days.

Case Report: A previously healthy 46-year-old female presented to the emergency department with ataxia, altered mental status, and vomiting that developed after rapidly ascending to ~2,400 meters (~7,800 feet) above sea level. She was treated for HACE and HAPE with resolution of her symptoms within 24 hours.

Conclusion: High-altitude pulmonary edema and HACE can develop rapidly and at moderate altitudes. Expeditious recognition and treatment is imperative to avoid life-threatening complications.

Introduction: Traumatic carotid artery dissections (CAD) are rare but produce potentially devastating injuries. Most patients develop symptoms within 72 hours of traumatic injury.

Case Report: We report the case of a 33-year-old, previously healthy male who presented to the emergency department for evaluation of transient, right-sided facial droop with visual changes. His symptoms began 12 days after falling off a scooter. Imaging revealed an extracranial internal CAD.

Conclusion: Symptoms of CAD may present weeks after blunt trauma, making clinical diagnosis difficult. Clinicians must have high suspicion for vascular injury and consider neuroimaging in cervical flexion/extension injuries.

Introduction: A tension empyema, in which purulent material accumulates in the chest cavity and leads to cardiopulmonary dysfunction, is a rare complication of empyemas. Moreover, fungal empyemas that grow Candida albicans and cause tension physiology have not yet been previously described.

Case Report: In this report, we present an immunocompetent 30-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with worsening shortness of breath and was found to have a left-sided fungal empyema causing tension physiology. Left chest thoracostomy yielded approximately 4 liters of purulent fluid. Pleural cultures eventually grew C albicans, and after antifungal therapy, surgical decortication of the lung, and a prolonged intensive care unit stay, the patient was discharged home in stable condition.

Conclusion: While mortality from C albicans empyemas that cause respiratory compromise is exceedingly high, our case highlights that aggressive management with rapid chest thoracostomy and antifungal therapy can lead to a favorable outcome.